Power Rankings: All-Star Race to Coca-Cola 600

NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers after the All-Star Race and before the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.

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2 of 21

Driver: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Rank: 20

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Comment: Stenhouse has just one top 10 at Charlotte, but he has increased his finishing position over the past four races from 20th, to 15th, to 13th to 10th in last year's running of the Coca-Cola 600.

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3 of 21

Driver: William Byron

Rank: 19

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Comment: Byron has just one Cup start on Charlotte's traditional layout, finishing 39th after a crash in last year's 600. Nowhere to go but up at a track where Hendrick typically excels.

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4 of 21

Driver: Ryan Newman

Rank: 18

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Comment: Though he owns 15 top 10s (fifth-most) and a series-best nine poles, Newman has been hit-or-miss at Charlotte. He's 0-for-35 and owns an 18.2 average finish.

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5 of 21

Driver: Jimmie Johnson

Rank: 17

Change: -1

Comment: The only driver with 20 or more top 10s at Charlotte -- and the series leader with eight wins -- piled up most of his numbers back in the championship days. Still, Johnson has put together a 6.6 average finish over his last five races there.

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6 of 21

Driver: Austin Dillon

Rank: 16

Change: +1

Comment: Though you can never count out a former 600 winner, Dillon's victory was more the exception than the norm at Charlotte for him. He led just two laps in that race (Martin Truex Jr. led 233) and it's one of just two top 10s in nine starts.

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7 of 21

Driver: Erik Jones

Rank: 15

Change: -2

Comment: Jones started fifth and finished seventh in his first Charlotte start. He's earned results of 17th and 19th in two since, and Sunday might not be his best shot at gaining momentum.

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8 of 21

Driver: Daniel Suarez

Rank: 14

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Comment: Though Suarez has no top 10s in the 600 yet, his 10.7 average finish through three Charlotte tri-oval starts is best in the series.

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9 of 21

Driver: Ryan Blaney

Rank: 13

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Comment: If only every race could be run on the Roval, Blaney would be a happy man. Though he's the most recent winner at the track, he hasn't had much luck on the traditional layout, with just one top 10 in seven starts and none in the 600.

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10 of 21

Driver: Kyle Larson

Rank: 12

Change: +3

Comment: Despite his first 600 top 10 coming last year, Larson probably wouldn't have been looked at as a possibility to win this weekend. That all changed after his thrilling All-Star Race victory.

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11 of 21

Driver: Alex Bowman

Rank: 11

Change: -1

Comment: After starting on the front row but finishing 39th after a crash in his first Charlotte race in the No. 88 in 2016 filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bowman redeemed himself in last year's 600 with his first top 10 in six starts.

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12 of 21

Driver: Aric Almirola

Rank: 10

Change: +1

Comment: Almirola earned the pole in his first-ever Charlotte race, the 2012 Coca-Cola 600. It's been mostly downhill from there, with just one top 10 (2015 fall race) in 12 starts.

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13 of 21

Driver: Clint Bowyer

Rank: 9

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Comment: Bowyer won at Charlotte in the thick of a title hunt in 2012. He followed that up with an eighth-place finish in the 2013 Coca-Cola 600 and hasn't seen the top 10 since.

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14 of 21

Driver: Kurt Busch

Rank: 8

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Comment: Busch did win the 2010 version of this race, but it's his only trip to Victory Lane in 36 tries. He does have six top 10s in his last seven starts, however.

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15 of 21

Driver: Denny Hamlin

Rank: 7

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Comment: Look past Hamlin's lack of victories at Charlotte -- he's arguably been the most consistent driver there this decade. Fourteen of his last 16 races have resulted in a top 10, and one of the ones he didn't was due to an engine issue.

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16 of 21

Driver: Martin Truex Jr.

Rank: 6

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Comment: As consistent as Hamlin has been, Truex has been even more dominant of late there. We all know what he did in the 2016 running of this race, and he nearly won it in '17 before landing in Victory Lane that fall. He's the favorite.

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17 of 21

Driver: Chase Elliott

Rank: 5

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Comment: Though he does have a runner-up at Charlotte (fall 2017), his best race was actually one in which he crashed. Elliott led 103 laps after starting third in his rookie season but wrecked out. If he can keep it clean on Sunday, he could be a threat.

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18 of 21

Driver: Brad Keselowski

Rank: 4

Change: -1

Comment: Though Keselowski's only Charlotte win came in the fall race -- while he was out of the playoffs -- five of his eight top 10s came in the 600.

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19 of 21

Driver: Kevin Harvick

Rank: 3

Change: +1

Comment: Harvick is among the favorites on Sunday, with two of his three Charlotte wins coming in the 600. He crashed out last year -- his first 600 finish outside the top 10 since an 11th place in 2010.

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20 of 21

Driver: Joey Logano

Rank: 2

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Comment: Logano has some very un-Logano-like recent history at Charlotte, with four straight finishes outside the top 20. He did start on the front row in this race last year, though.

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21 of 21

Driver: Kyle Busch

Rank: 1

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Comment: The defending winner from the pole also has 12 top fives at Charlotte, second only to Jimmie Johnson. There's no reason to think Busch won't be battling for the win on Sunday.

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